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''Milk and Honey'' is a musical with a book by Don Appell and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The story centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to catch husbands while touring Israel and is set against the backdrop of the country's struggle for recognition as an independent nation. It was Herman's first Broadway book musical following a succession of off-Broadway revues. ==Production history== Herman was playing the piano for ''Parade'', his most recent revue following ''I Feel Wonderful'' and ''Nitecap'', when he was approached by theatre producer Gerard Oestreicher, who was seeking a composer for a project about Israel he hoped to mount on Broadway. He sent Herman and Appell there to absorb the culture and hopefully find inspiration. Herman was determined that the musical not be a patriotic love letter, and while he liked most of what he saw during his visit, he incorporated some of what had not appealed to him ("rocks and dust and sand") into the lyrics of the title song. Directed by Albert Marre and choreographed by Donald Saddler, ''Milk and Honey'' began its pre-Broadway tryout run at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on August 28, 1961. The critical reception was positive, but Herman felt leading lady Molly Picon, who clearly was an audience favorite, needed another song and composed "Chin Up, Ladies" for her. The company moved on to the Colonial Theatre in Boston, playing there from September 5 - 23. After one preview, ''Milk and Honey'' opened on Broadway on October 10, 1961 in the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 543 performances. In addition to Picon, the show featured Metropolitan Opera stars Mimi Benzell and Robert Weede, and dancer-singer Tommy Rall. Hermione Gingold replaced Picon later in the run. The musical director was Max Goberman.〔(IBDB )〕 ''New York Times'' theater critic Howard Taubman praised the musical for its "heartwarming integrity" and for "taste and imagination," and lauded its performances, especially Picon's. The musical was revived in 1994 at the off-Broadway American Jewish Theatre, where it ran for 59 performances. The cast included Chevi Colton, Katy Selverstone, Ron Holgate (who had a small role in the original production), and James Barbour. In his review in the ''New York Times'', David Richards wrote, "Jerry Herman's score is the best reason for reviving ''Milk and Honey''... Ranging from ballads... to marches... to waltzes, the songs have none of the show-business slickness that sometimes crops up in his subsequent musicals.... When all else fails... there is always Mr. Herman's score to soar to the rescue. I wouldn't want to dismiss ''Hello, Dolly!'' or ''Mame''. But is it possible that his very best work came first?"〔Richards, David.("Review/Theater; Amorous Adventures From a Simpler Time", )''The New York Times'', May 20, 1994〕 In 2011 the musical will open the Magnormos 'A Jerry Herman Triptych' at Melbourne Recital Centre, which will be followed by two other Herman works Dear World and Hello, Dolly! ;Recording An original cast recording was released by RCA Victor. DRG re-issued this recording in 2008.〔Suskin, Steven.("ON THE RECORD: Me & Juliet, Happy Hunting and Milk and Honey Back on CD" ), Playbill.com, July 6, 2008, accessed 2008-05-07〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Milk and Honey (musical)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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